How can I make my Auralic G2.1 with Hoer-Wege power supply sound closer to my PST which sounds better with discs than the Auralic which I use wireless as I find it sounds better using it wireless. I use an Audioquest Dragon HDMI cable from my PST to my APS modded DSD Mk1 and I use an Audioquest Wel Signature AES/EBU cable from Auralic G2.1 to DSD. Although both sources sound pretty close I find that the PST with discs sounds better than the Auralic with Tidal or Qobuz. How can I bring the sound quality of my Auralic closer to the PST?
Wait until you hear the difference between a PST and a Gryphon Ethos or MBL 1621A. (CD Transports) You will have a panic attack. It is not subtle.
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I believe you but a Gryphon player is beyond my means for a while. I will one day be able but I pray that day will be years away. For now I am grateful for what I have put together for now. I would love to eventually upgrade everything. I would probably build a second system one day. I would love Stealth cables, Power Zone, Gryphon gear and MU2 etc. My current system is very 2020 but I enjoy it all the time. My Hales modded T5 speakers are 25 years old but they are keepers.
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That is all well understood. I am just flabbergasted at how much more sound the high end CD players get from the same ones and zeroes. You would not believe it if you heard it.
This is a case of “this should not be!” but I am so glad it is.
I have heard a Auralic 2.1 and I thought it sounded better than the PST I owned. What DAC are you using? I can guess it is the same DAC the PST uses but it surprises me that the PST sounds so much better. That 2.1 is a great piece. It is soundly thrashed by a Grimm MU1. But still.
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Both my PST and Auralic G2.1 with Hoer-Wege go to my APS modded DSD Mk1. They connect to the dac with AQ Dragon HDMI and AQ Wel Signature AES cables. The Auralic sounds good but playing discs off PST sounds better. I often use the streamer for convenience and music variety. Both sources sound good but PST better. My Magnum Dynalab MD106T tuner is fun especially with fresh good tubes. I use Audio Art Statement Cables everywhere and they are decent cables. I upgraded my power cables to Neotech NEP-3200 with Furutech FI-50 NCF connectors. They are okay budget cables. I have no doubt Stealth cables would Blow my Mind.
Is the PST using the Dragon and the Aries the WEL AES? When I used my Aries I used it with a DDC the Matrix spdif 2. Aries USB out to Matrix out to DSD Dac via Dragon HDMI.
There are better DDC’s out there now. If you want to make the Aries sound better than the PST you may want to try a DDC maybe a Matrix Spdif 3 or Denafrips with USB and a dragon. Not a cheap fix but I think it may give you improved sound over the WEL AES.
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I have no doubt what you suggest would be a much improvement however costly. I actually find the Auralic and the PST more similar sounding than different.
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I could send you a Stealth USB to try. I do agree with your cable choices. I have Audio Art cables I enjoy. I just don’t anymore.
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Thank you. I would love to try a Stealth cable. Would you try it instead of the Wel Signature AES?
If all I had to do was hook it up, yes. But the MK1 DAC has a poor USB input.
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How do you recommend I use the USB cable you generously offer to lend me to try?
Perhaps if I get a Matrix in the future.
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My first dedicated streamer was an Auralic G1 connected to a DSD MK I via USB and it sounded OK and was my best (affordable) option at the time. As Al mentioned, the USB of the MK I is its Achilles heel. You’ll find quite a number of forum threads discussing the improvements to be had from using a DDC to take advantage of the MK I’s superior I2S input. I went down that path with a Matrix, LPS and RAL HDMI cable. The improvements were immediately apparent.
I might have stayed with that configuration indefinitely but I found myself going down the BACCH path… Not to add more confusion or complexity to your situation, but you are likely to be impressed by what BACCH could do for the quality of your streaming. It’s $995 to try the Intro version risk-free. This is probably less than what you’d be paying for a Matrix, LPS and another high quality HDMI cable. If you like the BACCH - great! You keep it and 100% of your cost can be applied to any future upgrade on the BACCH food chain. If not, it can be returned for a full refund and the Matrix option is still available. I don’t want to come off as a shill for BACCH but the situation you describe is similar to where i was three or four years ago and I wanted to simply share my experience. I should point out that BACCH requires a Mac computing device (most use a Mac Mini) but it’s cost will be more than offset by any future sale of the G2.1 if you were to stick with BACCH.
Enjoy the journey!
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Yes I agree with Al. Running USB directly into a mk1 would not be beneficial.
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I looked at your system and didn’t see any mention of power conditioning. I have an Auralic Altair G2.2 and Altair G1.1 in two different systems. Those respond quite readily to changes in their cables and power conditioning. I’ve alternated running the G1.1 between an old PS Audio p300 rebuilt by Cullen Circuits and a PSA Power Plant 3 and was surprised at how different the results were. It’s like the difference between old stereotypical ideas of tubes vs. solid state amps. Another avenue for tuning sound to one’s liking.
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I use a Keces IQRP 3600 balanced power conditioner to power my system with a Hydra 6 to isolate the digital components. I use Neotech NEP-3200 power cables with Furutech FI-50 NCF connectors for the Keces, Amp, Preamp, Dac and headphone amp and and I use Audio Art Statement E2Plus power cables for my Dac outboard Keces P3 power supply, PST cd player, Auralic streamer, Hydra 6 for digital components and MD106t tuner. I have decent power conditioning but of course there is room to much improve in all of my gear. I think my system is well balanced for what it is.
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Does your DS Sr. DAC still have a slot for the PSA Bridge II network card or have you added the APS/JK Richards’ analogue power supply board?
If the Bridge slot is open, you might consider acquiring a second-hand DDC that allows you to convert a digital signal input to an I2S digital output.
IME, the Bridge II does not deserve the reputation it has for being extremely noisy. If you have the means, try out the Bridge II as the input to DS Sr. If nothing else, you will enjoy the experiment.
If you manage to try this and confirm the Bridge II is an inferior the G2.1 AES/EBU connection, I would love to hear about your experience.
FWIW/have fun.
[PS/Full Disclosure: I am looking to upgrade my server streaming game and wonder how the G2.1 might compare to my AirLens > I2S > Modified DS Sr. DAC (with JK Richard analogue power supply) set up.]
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I do in fact have an APS power board in the BII slot of my DS. I did at one time have a BII and I very much enjoyed it but the Auralic G2.1 was a huge improvement. The BII was an excellent introduction to streaming. I did and still do enjoy the journey.
Good to know.
I agree the journey is a big contributor to the enjoyment of music and Hi-Fi.
Regards.
What power supply are using to power the analogue board?
Curiously yours.